My name is Vivianne Issa. Gertrude Lee is my own fashion label, devoted to knitwear where the body, the silhouette, and the fit remain at the center.
My perspective on clothing has been shaped over time, through work at Acne Studios, COS, Dagmar, and Mini Rodini. Each experience has informed a way of thinking that values clarity, restraint, and a sense of ease. With Gertrude Lee, I wanted to create something more personal. A wardrobe that reflects identity and independence, designed to move naturally between day and evening.
Knitwear has always felt like the most honest place to begin. It allows for a different kind of precision. Pieces are developed with intention, shaped directly from yarn into form, without excess. There is a quiet logic to it. A way of creating that feels both considered and enduring.
The name Gertrude Lee comes from two lasting influences.
Gertrude Stein has been a constant reference since I was young. Her way of observing, of writing, and of shaping culture through perspective has stayed with me. There is a certain sharpness and clarity in her thinking that continues to resonate.
Bruce Lee represents something different, but equally defining. Discipline, presence, and a philosophy grounded in movement and control. Growing up, his world was always there in the background. Over time, it became something I returned to with a deeper understanding.
Gertrude Lee exists in that intersection. Between softness and strength, between structure and ease. Knitwear as both expression and form.